Shamelessly Feminine | Priorities

Do you make resolutions for the new year? I don’t. That isn’t to say I don’t have a million things to improve on, or I don’t want to lose 10 pounds. It just means that I now know that every day is the start of new year. Every day, every minute, every second is a chance for change.

Sometimes that theory works the opposite direction.

Sometimes, in a second your life is changed.

We have all witnessed it. A death, a divorce, a diagnosis. Something that will change your life in an instant. Recently it happened to me. I received a call in the tea and coffee aisle of the grocery store. I can remember the smell. Coffee, the scent of mornings and new beginnings. It was one of my dearest friends on the line. She had news. It was cancer.

Fortunately, this story doesn’t have a tragic ending. She is ok. She is still being treated, but thankfully she is ok. It shook me though. It made me wonder about all the seconds in my own life and how I am going to spend them.

Today, instead of returning to the office after a few weeks hiatus to celebrate the holidays, I took the time to have a mammogram. There were SO many other things that needed my attention today. I had a shitload of emails waiting for me, and deadlines to meet. I had laundry and cleaning for miles.

Today I made me more important. I put aside my lengthy to do list and took care of my health. As women, it’s not something that is so easy for us to do.

Women are GREAT at making sure others are cared for, but we rarely prioritize ourselves.

I got to thinking… isn’t taking care of us also taking care of those we love? Maybe I will make a resolution after all. In 2016, I will take care of me as carefully as I care all others I love. Resolution made!

8 Comments

Firstly, Happy New Year from New Zealand :-)Glad that your friend is doing well, it’s not something we would wish for any friend, that’s for sure. It is amazing how we do care for the ones we love dearly and yet we do forget the one we should care for the most, ourselves. Take care of No.1 first and then worry what others do or say. What would they do without you if you weren’t around 🙂

Thank you Jenn, for that reminder. I sat here and read you article and it was something I had just experienced. My sister and her husband were going to visit a lifelong friend who was on Hospice from cancer, and I offered to watch the grandkids when they got home from school so they could spend the day. Instead at 4am my sister called me and her husband had a heart attack, and I was on the phone as the EMT’s told her they could not revive him. Our world was turned upside down, 2 days before Christmas. A week later their friend died. It was very sad and tragic. We are picking up the pieces as I write this. Of course it’s hardest for my sister, as much as we all miss him and glad he was a part of our lives. They started dating when she was 16 and were together 51 years! I’ve always tried to stay on top of my health, appointments etc. With everything going on, I did not make my appointment, so your article was very relevant to me. I just added, make my appt. to my list of things I need to do, as I get my life back to a new normal. I hope your friend’s treatment goes well and you get to be friends for a very long time. May we all have a much better 2016!

Amen…My sister was told she had cancer of the liver in March and I lost her the day after Christmas. For the last nine months we laughed, cried but most of all, we enjoyed life to the fullest. Ladies don’t ignore that pain that won’t go away and take the time to make time for you and your health. In a blink of an eye time is gone. God Bless all of you

This is something I am constantly telling my clients. Why do women put themselves last? Our time & spending priorities are husband/boyfriend, then when the kids come along, the kids are first. Then after that it’s our parents, our pets, our home. But never us. This has to change. We need to love ourselves and value ourselves as much as (or even more) others do. Only this way can we appreciate life to the full. Every day!
And your blog post is a timely reminder that I need to book an appointment with my dentist!